How to Read a Shooting Star Candlestick
A small body near the bottom of the range with a long upper wick -- a common early warning near the top of a rally.
CANDLESTICK PATTERNS
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1-candle pattern · Bearish reversal
A shooting star has a small body near the bottom of the range, a long upper wick, and little or no lower wick, appearing after an uptrend. It shows buyers pushed price higher during the period, but sellers took control and dragged it back down to close near the open.
Like a hammer, the strength of a shooting star comes largely from the wick-to-body ratio — a longer upper wick relative to the body suggests a more decisive rejection of higher prices. It’s most meaningful near an existing resistance level or after an extended run higher, and, as with most single-candle signals, is usually paired with a wait for the next candle’s confirmation before acting on it.
Related patterns
- How to Read a Hanging Man Candlestick
- How to Read an Inverted Hammer
- How to Read a Gravestone Doji
- How to Read an Evening Star Pattern
This article is educational only and isn’t a recommendation to trade any particular instrument or pattern — no candlestick pattern works in isolation. See the full candlestick guide for how patterns like this one fit into a broader approach.